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Pediatric Epilepsy & Behavioral Medicine Lab

The Pediatric Epilepsy and Behavioral Medicine Lab at MUSC is led by Janelle Wagner, Ph.D. Dr. Wagner is a research professor and pediatric psychologist. She has appointments in the College of Nursing and College of Medicine. Her program of research focuses on behavioral health care for children and adolescents with epilepsy with an emphasis in self-/family management, or the daily steps taken to manage epilepsy and its co-occurring conditions.

Current collaborations include a UG/H study funded by the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke to develop and test an intervention to improve executive function skills in teens with epilepsy. Dr. Wagner is also an active member of the Pediatric Epilepsy Research Consortium (PERC).

Previous projects have included an R01 funded through the National Institute for Nursing Research to examine the benefit of an intervention designed to improve adherence to anti-seizure medicines in underserved children with epilepsy. This multi-site randomized controlled trial (RCT) used a “stepped up” care approach that tailored the level of intervention to the needs of a particular family. Other collaborations included a national validation of the PedsQL Epilepsy Module, which measures quality of life in children and caregivers. Dr. Wagner and her colleague Dr. Gigi Smith also developed the Neurological Disorders Depression Inventory for Epilepsy in Youth (NDDI-E-Y), a screening tool which has been translated into numerous languages and used across the globe.

Other projects have explored depressive symptoms, self-efficacy and coping skills and epidemiological studies of epilepsy, comorbidities, and health related outcomes with funding from the American Epilepsy Society (AES), Parents Against Childhood Epilepsy, the Henkin Family Foundation, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Research from Dr. Wagner’s lab has been published in epilepsy and psychology journals, book chapters, and presented at national and international scientific meetings, including the AES, Society of Pediatric Psychology, and International League Against Epilepsy.

Links:

Selected Publications:

  1. Combs AB, Wagner JL, Huszti H, Wade SL, Schmidt M, Buschhaus S, Scherra J, Wetter S, Coffey C, Ecklund D, Bayman E, Glauser T, Hardy K, & Modi AC. (2026) Epilepsy Journey 2.0 study design and methods: A randomized trial of an executive functioning intervention for adolescents with epilepsy. Contemporary Clinical Trials Communications, 49, 101605. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conctc.2026.101605
  2. Modi AC, Wagner JL, Patel A, Buschaus S, Schmidt M, Huszti H, Glauser TA, & Davidian M. (2026). Epilepsy adherence in children and technology (eACT): Outcomes of a sequential, multiple assignment, randomized trial (SMART). Epilepsia.
    http://doi.org/10.1002/epi.70097
  3. Berl M, Wagner JL, Caraway A, Loblein H, Novotny EJ, et al & the PERC Surgery Workgroup. (2026). Disparities across the pediatric epilepsy surgery journey: Referral, recommendation, and completion from a national consortium. Epilepsia; 67, 1601-1611.
    DOI: 10.1002/epi.70060
  4. Wagner JL, Bhatia S, Beatty C, Hunter S, Vetter I, Gaston G & Wolfe-Christensen C. (2025). Health disparities in behavioral health outcomes in pediatric epilepsy. Epilepsy & Behavior, 172, 110716.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yebeh.2025.110716.
  5. Wagner JL, Hirschberger R, DesMarteau J, Wolfe-Christensen C, Gaston G et al. (2025). Behavioral health resources in pediatric epilepsy care. Epilepsy & Behavior, 171, 110632. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yebeh.2025.110632.
  6. Wagner JL, Patel AD, Huszti H, Schmidt M, Smith G, Bhatia S, Guilfoyle S, Lang A, Buschhaus S, Williams S, Ardo J, Davidian M, & Modi AC. (2024). A sequential, multiple assignment, randomized trial of a novel adherence intervention for youth with epilepsy: The eACT study. Contemporary Clinical Trials, 147, 107739.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cct.2024.107739
  7. Skjei K, Beatty C, Bhatia S, Garcia-Sosa R, Joshi C, Patel S, Singhal N, Taylor C, Vetter I, & Wagner JL. (2024). Health and healthcare disparities in pediatric epilepsy in the United States: A scoping review. Annals of Neurology.
    https://doi.org/10.1002/ana.26862.
  8. Wagner JL, Bhatia S, Fedak Romanowski E, Garcia Sosa R, Joshi C, Kumar G, Marquis BO, Park M, Patel E, Rao K & Skjei K (2022). Health disparities in pediatric epilepsy: Methods and lessons learned. Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings.
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-022-09898-1.
  9. Wagner JL, Brothers S, Clifford L, Guilfoyle S, & Smith G, Modi A (2022). Behavioral health screening in pediatric epilepsy: Which measures commonly used in the United States are ‘good enough’. Epilepsy & Behavior, 34, 108818.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yebeh.2022.108818
  10. Modi AC, Patel AD, Stevens J, Smith G, Hustzi H, Guilfoyle SM, Mara CA, Schmidt M & Wagner JL. (2021). The psychosocial impact of COVID-19 on children and adolescents with epilepsy and their caregivers. Epilepsy & Behavior, 117, 107855.
  11. Michaelis R, Tang V, Nevitt SJ, Wagner JL, Modi AC, LaFrance WC, Goldstein LH, Gandy M, Bresnahan R, Valente K, Donald KA, Reuber M. (2021). Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis of the impact of psychological treatments for people with epilepsy on health-related quality of life: an update by the ILAE Psychology Task Force, highlighting methodological changes. Epileptic Disorders, 23, 6, 803-811. doi: 10.1684/epd.2021.1357
  12. Gandy M, Modi AC, Wagner JL, LaFrance Jr WC, Reuber M, Tang V, Valente KD, Goldstein LH, Donald KA, Rayner G, & Michaelis R. (2021). Managing depression and anxiety in people with epilepsy: A survey of epilepsy health professionals by the ILAE Psychology Task Force. Epilepsia Open, 6, 127-139.
    https://doi.org/10.1002/epi4.12455
  13. Michaelis R, Tang V, Nevitt S, Wagner JL, Modi AC, LaFrance WC, Goldstein LH, Lundgren T, & Reuber M. (2020). Psychological treatments for people with epilepsy: Update to 2017. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 8.
    https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD012081.pub3
  14. Varni JW, Junger KF, Mara C, Kellermann T, Barrett L, Wagner JL, Mucci GA, Guilfoyle SM, Hustzi H, Smith G, Zupanc M, Modi AC. (2020). PedsQL™ Cognitive functioning scale in youth with epilepsy: Reliability and validity. Epilepsy & Behavior, 103, Part A, 106850.
  15. Wagner JL, Modi AC, Guilfoyle SM, Junger KF, Weyand C, Smith G, & Mucci G. (2019). Current behavioral health and cognitive screening practices in pediatric epilepsy. Epilepsy & Behavior, 101, Part A, 106214.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yebeh.2019.03.019
  16. Michaelis R, Tang V, Goldstein LH, Reuber M, LaFrance WC, Lundgren T, Modi AC, Wagner JL. (2018). Psychological treatments for adults and children with epilepsy: Evidence based recommendations by the ILAE Psychology Task Force. Epilepsia, 59, 1282-1302.
  17. Modi AC, Junger KF, Mara C, Kellermann T, Barrett L, Wagner JL, Mucci GA, Bailey L, Almane D, Guilfoyle SM, Urso L, Hater B, Hustzi H, Smith G, Herrmann B, Perry MS, Zupanc M, & Varni, JM. (2017). Validation of the PedsQL Epilepsy Module: A pediatric epilepsy-specific quality of life measure. Epilepsia, 58, 1920-1930.
  18. Wagner JL, Kellermann T, Mueller M, Smith G, Brooks B, Arnett A, Modi AC. (2016). Development and validation of the NDDI-E-Y- a depression screening tool for pediatric epilepsy. Epilepsia, 57, 1265-1270.
  19. Wagner JL, Smith G, Wilson L, & Selassie A. (2015). Prevalence of
    neurodevelopmental and mental health comorbidities in youth with epilepsy and migraine: A response to identified research gaps. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 57, 45-52.
  20. Wagner JL, Smith G, Ferguson P, van Bakergem, K & Hrisko S. (2010). Pilot study of an integrated cognitive-behavioral and self-management intervention for youth with epilepsy and caregivers: Coping Openly and Personally with Epilepsy (COPE). Epilepsy & Behavior, 18, 3, 280-285.

Contact

Janelle L. Wagner, Ph.D
wagnerjl@musc.edu